Bengaluru:  The works on widening the existing Mysuru-Bengaluru National Highway into six-lane highway and service roads on either sides was launched by Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari here yesterday who laid the foundation stone for the development works taken up at a cost of Rs. 6,400 crore.

The works will be taken up in two phases. In the first phase, the development works would be taken up from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta and the second phase of works would be taken up from Nidaghatta to Mysuru.

Speaking after launching the highway works, Nitin Gadkari said that the Centre was mulling to introduce an electric Skybus between Bengaluru and Mysuru if the Karnataka Government agrees and added that a Skybus project was being implemented in New Delhi and the tender process would commence by Apr. 15.

While Metro rail costs Rs 3,500 crore per kilometre, Skybus costs lesser than Rs 50 crore, Gadkari said and added that even common people would be able to experience what it is like to travel by floating in the air.

Meanwhile an official said, “Though the foundation laying ceremony will take place, the actual work may take another three to four months to begin. By then the NHAI hopes to acquire the required land and hand it over to the concessionaire, who has a 20-year lease agreement that includes 2.5 years of construction and the rest for maintenance. The project has been taken up on hybrid  annuity mode.”

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded the contract to Dilip Buildcon Ltd. with a works completion deadline of two-and-a-half years. The contract also includes construction of nine major bridges, 44 small bridges and four railway over-bridges. Once the six-laning of the highway is completed and thrown open for the public, the travel time between Mysuru and Bengaluru would come down by 90 minutes.

Bengaluru to B.R. Hills

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also laid the foundation stone to widen the 170-kilometre stretch from Bengaluru to BR Hills Reserve from two-lane to four-lane to be taken up at a cost of Rs. 2,000 crore which would be completed in two years.

Godavari-Cauvery link

The Minister said that in a bid to solve the problem of water scarcity in the southern States, the Union Government intends to link the Godavari River with Cauvery River and added that the extra water will help irrigate six lakh acres of land in Karnataka. On the whole, the project would benefit Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana States, he added.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Housing Minister M. Krishnappa, Union Ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Ananth Kumar, Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, MP D.K. Suresh and others were present.